Defending Against Water & Washdown Damage: How a Food Processing Facility Eliminated Critical Failures
Food processing facilities operate in some of the harshest environments for machinery: constant washdowns, caustic chemicals, humidity, and nonstop production pressures. For one facility, these conditions were causing repeated failures in hydraulic and lubrication systems — overwhelming maintenance staff and jeopardizing uptime.
They weren’t just reacting to breakdowns… they were fighting them daily. Something had to change.
The Challenge: Water Ingress, Grease System Failures & a Reactive Maintenance Culture
Daily sanitation cycles drenched equipment with water and chemicals, pushing moisture past seals, into reservoirs, and through lubrication points. The facility struggled with:
• Critical hydraulic and lube system failures caused by water intrusion
• Grease systems compromised during washdowns
• High levels of reactive, last-minute maintenance
• Lower uptime due to preventable failures
Water contamination is one of the most destructive forces in equipment reliability. It breaks down lubricants, accelerates corrosion, and shortens component life dramatically. GRS specializes in sealing equipment against these exact conditions through contamination control, filtration upgrades, breathers, and hands on reliability support.
What GRS Delivered: A Hardened, Washdown-Ready Reliability Program
Guardian Reliability Services designed a system-wide strategy to protect critical assets from moisture and chemical exposure — and rebuild confidence in the facility’s maintenance process.
1. VentGuard™ Breathers & Sealed Hardware
To stop moisture and contaminants from entering hydraulic and lubrication systems, GRS installed upgraded breathers and sealed components. These solutions keep reservoirs dry and pressure balanced, even under heavy washdown conditions.
This work aligns with GRS’s core capabilities in fixed filtration, mobile filtration, and contamination control, which ensure fluid integrity even in harsh environments.
2. Sampling & Filtration on All Critical Assets
GRS implemented a routine sampling program to track water levels, particulate contamination, and lubricant health across essential equipment. In addition to monthly lab samples, GRS filters each Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU) during every scheduled visit, ensuring contaminants are continuously removed before they can cause damage. This dual approach provides the maintenance team with real-time visibility and proactive contamination control that they had never had before.
3. A Hands On Reliability Partnership
Beyond upgrades and sampling, GRS supported the team directly — inspecting systems, adjusting hardware, and advising proactive maintenance habits. This technician driven model is central to GRS’s approach: working alongside teams to build a long-term reliability culture.
The Results: Zero Critical Failures & A Maintenance Team Back in Control
After implementing GRS’s washdown ready strategy, the facility saw:
• Zero critical failures in hydraulic or lubrication systems
• No grease systems compromised during washdown operations
• Improved uptime, even in demanding, wet environments
• A drastic reduction in reactive maintenance workload
By preventing water ingress and tightening system reliability, GRS gave the maintenance team something they hadn’t had in years: breathing room.
Customer Testimonial
“We were struggling to stay ahead. Guardian stepped in, took ownership, and treated our equipment like it was their own. Now, failure is no longer part of our daily routine.”
A Question for Your Operation
If water or washdown chemicals are getting into your hydraulic or lubrication systems, how many failures are happening that you won’t catch until it’s too late?
And what would it mean for your team if those failures simply… stopped?
If washdowns, moisture, or chemical exposure are compromising your equipment, GRS can help you harden your systems and eliminate contamination-related failures.
Let’s protect your assets from the environment they work in.